EGLAN GWENETH- Prologue Elven Warrior

"......The Elven battle outfit began with a silk or soft wool shirt; over this went a hauberk made of extremely fine links of mail, of a kind so delicate yet strong that only the Dwarves could have matched them. It was long-sleeved, ending at the wrists, over which leather gloves were worn, and continued up into a coif, enclosing the head, and down at the front to end in a petal shape that covered the top of the skirt, protecting the lower abdomen and groin; a rounded rectangular shape protected the rump.

Over this was placed the cuirass. The breastplate consisted of six long interlacing lames, joined with leather loops that were riveted above and below. The top three lames were elongated so that they passed over the shoulders, coming together to join the backplates by means of a rivet. All six of the lames curved around the warrior's torso to end in a vertical row beneath the backplates; each row was hemmed with another strip of metal that was grommeted, and by this means all the lames of the breastplate were laced together using points, allowing the top of the cuirass to be tight to the body yet still flexible. In the V at the throat of the breastplate each warrior wore a metal badge that bore the insignia of his commander, in this case the heraldic emblem of the Elven king Gil-Galad.

Attached to the breastplate by means of leathers was a fauld made of seven long overlapping lames that were looped together in similar fashion to the breastplate and curved around the hips, protecting the lower torso and upper thighs from enemy blows.

There was no armor protecting the legs, as the Elves wished to maximize their natural agility. Any plate armor, whether it was cuisse or greave, would have added weight to each leg, slowing the Elven warriors as well as tiring him. Instead, the warrior would had worn loose-fitting silk trousers and tall, soft leather boots, over which went a richly decorated skirt that was belted at the waist.

To further protect the arms, the warrior was equipped with braces and pauldrons, both of which again were inspired by the flower and plant motifs present elsewhere. The lames if the pauldron were fat pointed shapes, suggestive of a bud in springtime about to burst, or the petal of a flower; the lames of both the pauldron and the bracer were riveted together and strapped to the breastplate and glove respectively with leathers.

The cloak was of the special Elven Silk mentioned previously and was colored a silver grey-green, shot through with a shimmering light. The top of the cloak ended in two long ties, which wrapped around the shoulders, crossed on the back and then were tied in a sash around the waist and above the belt......"

From Page 16-17, LORD OF THE RINGS: WEAPONS AND WARFARE

"......The curving lines of Elven helmets suggested the crest of a stamen emerging from a bud, or the image, perhaps, of a swam. Again, the Elves succeeded in combining function with form, because the helmet had both full cheek-guards and a nose-guard while still remaining open-faced, giving ecvellent all-around visibility. The curved blade that formed the crest was probably more decorative than functional, although its raised position may have served to misdirect enemy blows higher than intended. The helmet also bore the insignia of Gil-Galad; close observation will reveal the rune "GG" representing their commander, etched at the top of the nose-guard."

From Page 17, LORD OF THE RINGS: WEAPONS AND WARFARE

".....The sword was a little over five feet in length, its overall recurved shape that of an elongated S. The handle represented half of the total length of the weapon, and its leather-wrapped hilt was etched in gold with a leaf pattern that stretched from pommel to guard. The reason for such a long handle was to enable the swordsman to wield it with two hands, one placed behind the guard and one by the pommel. This widely spaced grip was developed to give the Elves maximum rotation when moving the sword through the whirling strike that was their distinctive attacking style......"

From Page 15, LORD OF THE RINGS: WEAPONS AND WARFARE

"Like the famed weapon of their king, the Elven polearm was more of a glaive than a spear, in that it had a slightly curved blade sharpened along one edge. The Elves used the eight-foot spear like a long-handled sword, to slash at their opponents from a distance as well as thrust at them with its point. When coupled with their natural speed and agility it made it all but impossible for an opponent to reach and attack them when one-on-one.

When banners were carried into battle, they were attached to the spear shaft just below the blade.

From Page 15, LORD OF THE RINGS: WEAPONS AND WARFARE

"......Elven bows were about the same height as the bowman; this was as high as they could be while still being efficient and effective. The ratio critical to this relationship was that between the bowman and his arm length, which was generally about half his height; therefore a bow could be no taller than twice his arm length.......

......A longbow meant that its arrows also needed to be long so that they could be fully drawn. The additional length meant that the pale wood was sanded to a relatively narrow diameter to keep the weight down and the range up; the steel broad-head tips were long, and curved gracefully from a flared end to an acutely tapered point; the flights were also long, and came from the white feathers of the swan, a bird that was much revered by the Elves......

......The quiver was made of cloth that was dyed blue and strengthened with decorated strips of leather; to these were attached leather straps that were tightened to the back with a metal buckle.

From Page 14, LORD OF THE RINGS: WEAPONS AND WARFARE

"......Like so many Elvish artifacts, the shield were leaf-shaped and decorated with a twining tracery reminiscent of tengwar, the Elvish writing system, across its surface.

It tapered to a point at each end, which served two purposes; it allowed the edge of the shield to extend for as long as possible so that the shield could be tilted left and right and still protect the Elf's body; the point could also be used as a stabbing edge in case the Elf dropped his weapon; the shield's edges were razor sharp.

The center had a boss, and an unusual handgrip that extended from the top of the shield to the bottom; this meant that the shield could be wielded two-handed, so it could be used both defensively and offensively. There were two circular cutouts to either side of the boss so that the warrior-whether left- or right-handed-could place his spear within one, able to repel an enemy charge, while remaining fully protected behind the shield."

From Page 13, LORD OF THE RINGS: WEAPONS AND WARFARE

Last updated on 30th Oct 2007.
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